Fluid-pressure-operated stop-valve mechanism for boilers.



PATENTED MAY 28, 1907.

H. R. ROCKWELL.

FLUID PRESSURE OPERATED STOP VALVE MECHANISM FOR BOILERS.

APILIUATIO'N FILED JA.N.9.1907.

2 fiHEETS-SHEET 1.

v Mai 776136 6 THE mmms PETERS ca, WASHINGTON, u. c

No. 855,417. PATENTEDMAY 2a, 1907.

11. R. ROCKWELL.

FLUID PRESSURE OPERATED STOP, VALVE MECHANISM FOR BOILERS.

APPLIOATION FILED JA'N.9.1907- 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

la Zerii? .Roca/ZZ HUBER-T R. ROCKWELL, OF OHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- THIRD TO JOSHUA O. WALL, JR, AND ON E-THIRD BOTH OF OHATTANOOGA, TENNESSEE.

TO HENRY TEMPLE,

FLUID-PRESSURE-OPERATED STOP-VALVE MECHANISM FOR BOILERS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 28, 1907. I

Original application filed October 17, 1906, S ri l N 339,398. Divided and this application filed January 9, 1907. Serial No. 351,486.

To (LZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HUBERT R. RooKwELL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chattanooga, in the county of Hamilton and State of Tennessee, have invented new and useful Improvements in Fluid-Pressure-Operated StopValve Mechanism for Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a fluid pressure operated stop Valve mechanism for engines, and aims to provide in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a mechanism of such class embodying a valvular member and means arranged in operative relation with respect to the valve for operating it to close the same, thereby discontinuing the operation of the engine when the cylinder is to be relieved from the water of condensation; furthermore, to provide, in a manner as hereinafter set forth, a manually-operated means which when operated will cause the shifting of the valve to close the steam supply so as to stop the engine when it is desired.

The invention further aims to provide a fluid pressure operated pneumatic stop valve and means for operating it for the purposes hereinafter set forth, said valve and means being simple in construction and arrangement, strong, durable, efficient in use, and

readily set up with respect to the parts of theengine with which it associates.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention consists of the novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more specifically described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, but it is to be understood that changes, variations and modifications can be resorted to which come within the scope of the claims hereunto appended.

In the drawings wherein like reference characters denote corresponding parts throughout the several views-Figure 1 is a side elevation. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the stop valve. Fig. 3 is a like view of the cylinder relief valve.

Briefly described the invention comprises a fluid pressure operated pneumatic stop valve for closing the admission of steam to the cylinder, manually-operated means assoj ciating with the valve for causing the operation thereof when occasion so requires, and

an automatically-operable relief means for the cylinder and which associates with the valve and is'adapted to operate the valve for shutting off the supply of steam so that the engine will be stopped and the cylinder cleaned of the water of condensation.

The invention further comprises an air compressor operated from the crank shaft of the engine and which communicates with an air reservoir, the latter communicating with the regulating means associating with the valve and interposed in the communication between the reservoir and the regulator is a reducing valve.

Referring to the drawings by reference characters 1 denotes the cylinder of the engine, 2 the steam supply conduit, 3 the crank shaft, 4 the bearings therefor, 5 the flywheel and 6 the throttle. The foregoing elements may be ofknown construction.

The stop valvecomprises a casing 7 having an inlet 8 and an outlet'9. The inlet 8 'of the casing 7 is secured to the conduit 2 by the union 10 and the outlet 9 is secured to the throttle valve casing by the union 1 1. The casing 7 is formed With an internallyarranged slotted web 12, which is an integral 80 part of the casing and forms a valve seat for an oscillatory valvular member 13. This member 13 is somewhat in the form of a quadrant and is notched, as "at 14, said notches alining when the valve is in certain positions with the slots through the web 12. These latter slots also act as means for establishing communication between the upper part of the valve chamber 7 and the outlet 9 when the valvular member 13 is shifted so 90 as to open one or more of the said slots of the member 12. The valvular member 13 is pivoted, as at 14, and is formed with an extension 15 pivotally connected, as at 16, to a link 18, the latter being pivotally connected, as at 20, to a differential piston 21 operating in an extension 22 which forms a part ofthe valve chamber 7 and which also communicates with an exhaust valve casing 23, the latter provided with a seat 24 which is engaged by the aIItomati'cally operable exhaust valve 25, the latter being provided with a stem26 which rejects from-the casing 23 andiisengaged by an operating mechanism therefor to be hereinafter referredto. c

An outlet pipe 27 communicates with the tension 22 so that the valvular member 13 can be shifted in one direction to close the slots in the member 12, through the medium of a fluid-pressure regulator, such regulator when pressure is exhausted therefrom shifting the valve 25 through an intermediate mechanism so that the valve 25 will be moved, from its seat.

The pressure regulator comprises a casing 31 in which is arranged a flexible diaphragm 32 having connected thereto a stem 33 which is attached to a bell crank 34 su ported, as

,at 35, one arm of the bell cranr being attached to the stem 33 and the other arm to the stem 26. An inlet 36 for the supply and exhaust of pressure in the casing 31 is pro- .vided.- When-(pressure is ap lied to the diaphragm 32 the valve is he d against its seat, but when pressure is released from the diaphragm the valve will be enabled to be removed from its seat owing to the steam f pressure in the extension 22 and the action of the diaphragm 32 and under such condi tions the steam can exhaust from the extension 22 so that ressure within the casing 7 i will tend to shit the differential piston 21 f and conse uently move the valvular member 13 to c osing position.

A means is provided for supplying fluid pressure to the regulator, said means con sisting of an air compressor 37 operated through the medium of a belt connection 38 .from the crank shaft 3 of the engine and the cylinder of the compressor communicates with a reservoir 39 through the medium of V the discharge pipe 40.

which constitutes a supply pipe for the pres- A small pipe 41,

sure regulator, leads from the reservoir 2 to the port. 36 and said supply pipe 41 has interposed therein a reducmg valve 42 of known construction. v

The, manual means for relieving the pressure from the diaphragm 32 within the-casing 31 consists of an exhaust valve 43 at one end of a pipe branch 44 which communicates I with a distributing pipe 45, the latter opening into the supply pipe 41, as at 46. The

distributing pipe 45 is provided with a plurality of branchpipes 44, each having an exhaust valve 43 so that the manual operation of relievingpressurefrom the regulator can be had at various points. The distributing pipe 45 in close proximity to the coupling be-' tween said pipe 45 and branch pipes 44 is provided with a plurality of check valves 47 so that air is discharged only through a direct pipe from back of the diaphragm 32 to that valve 43 which is opened. Such action economizes in the use of air and also renders quick action.

A second distributing pipe 48 is provided which communicates through the medium of the pipe branch 49 with the distributing pipe 45. The distributing pipe 48 communicates with the means for causing the operation of the valvular member 13 when it is desired to relieve the cylinder of water pressure through the medium of the branch pipe 50. The branch pipe 49 and the distributing pipe 48 are provided. with check valves 53 utilized for'the same function as the check valves 47.

The means for closing the operation of the valvular member 13 when it is desired to re lieve the cylinder of water comprises a relief valve mechanism consisting of a casing 54, which connects with the indicator pipe of the cylinder and which is provided with a valve seat 55, against which is normally seated a valve 56, having a stem 57 surrounded by a coiled spring 58. The casing 54 carries a yoke 59 which terminates in a cylindrical extension 60 coupled to the pipe 50. The extension 60 constitutes an exhaust valve casing and is provided with an exhaust valve 61 adapted to engage the seat 61 The valve 61 is connected to the stem 57 which extends through the yoke 59 and into the casing 60. The water in the cylinder will cause the valve 56 to rise from its seat against the tension of the spring 58. The valve stem 57 will then shiftthe valve 61 off its seat, thereby opening the casing 60 through the yoke 59 to the atmosphere and relieving .pressure from the regulator, and such action will cause the unseating of the valve 25. The steam in the extension 22 will then be exhausted and the pressure in the casing 7 will operate upon the differential piston so as to move it outwardly and cause the shifting of the valvular member 13 to close the slots in the member 12.

It will be apparent from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the ac companying drawings, that if any one of the exhaust valves 43 is operated manually it will cause in a manner as hereinbefore stated, the shifting of the valvular member 15 as to close the steam supply, thereby discontinuing the operation of the engine. It will be'furthermore evident that when water within the cylinder 1 will cause the shifting of the valve 56 the latter in turn will operate the exhaust valve 61', thereby opening the pipe 50 to the atmosphere and cause the automatic shifting of the valvular member 13 to closing position, thereby discontinuing the steam supply and the operation of the engine.

The exhaust valves43 which are manually operated to open position are automatically operated to closure position owing to the employment of suitable compression springs which, when such valves are open, compress and when the valves are released the springs expand, consequently moving the valves to closure position. As this is an obvious construction it is thought unnecessary to showit.

l/Vhen the exhaust valves 43 are released so they can close, the air from the reservoir 39 will flow 'up through the supply pipe 41 and shift the diaphragm 32, which in turn will cause the closing of the valve 25 thereby shutting off the exhaust of steam from the extension 22. Now if the throttle valve 6 is closed the steam will pass through the port 29 to the lower part of the casing 7 and from there through the branch pipe 80 to the extension 22 back of the differential piston 34 which will create pressure on the large end of the piston 34 and cause the same to move inwardly, thereby shifting the member 13 to open position. The same action takes place when the exhaust valve mechanisms for each of the pipe branches 50, 51 and 52 are closed.

The subject matter of this application is a division of my application Serial No. 339,398, filed October 17, 1906.

What I claim is:

1. A fluid pressure operated stop valve mechanism for engines comprising a valvular member shiftable to and from closure position for opening and closing the steam supply, means for normally holding said valve in an open position by steam pressure, means communicating with an air supply for closing the steam exhaust, means automatically operated by the water in the cylinder of the engine for exhausting the air, thereby permitting of the opening of the steam exhaust and the exhaust of the steam, thereby causing the moving of said valve to closing position and means for automatically applying steam pressure for opening the valve when the exhausting of air is discontinued, which causes the closing of the steam exhaust.

2. In an engine, the combination With a fluid pressure operated valve mechanism adapted when closed to shut off the supply of steam, of a valvular means operated by'the water of condensation in the cylinder of the engine for automatically exhausting the fluid pressure thereby causing the actuation of said valve mechanism to closing position.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

HUBERT R. ROCKWELL.

Witnesses:

E. M. CARTER, S. L. RUssELL. 

